Clothes tongs



Jan. 19 i 1926. 1,569,999

v. E. NELSON CLOTHES TONGS Filed June 1922 yd 5: 9 mlenfc'c 246, 0, 4: 481m.

Gum,

Patented Jan. 19, 1926.

UNITED STATES VICTOR E NELSON, OF BEDFORD MICHIGAN.

CLOTHES 'I'ONGS.

Application filed June 8,1922, Serial No. 566,745.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR E. Nelson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Redford, county of \Vayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Clothes Tongs, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This-invention relates to clothes tongs and the object of the inventon is to provide a device for use in handling clothes and more particularly to be used in picking the clothes out of hot water and passing them through a wringer. Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device for feeding clothes into a wringer, the device being arranged to prevent possibility of the users hand being drawn into the wringer and crushed. Another object of the invention is to provide a device which does away with the necessity of dipping the hands into the hot water to lift the clothes out for wringing or rinsing. A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of clothes tongs in which the jaws are shaped to allow the clothes to be easily drawn therefrom by the wringer, the upper jaw of the tongs being shaped to fit against the periphery of the upper roll of the wringer to prevent the possibility of the tongs being drawn into the wringer. These objects and the several novel features of the invention are hereinafter more fully described and claimed and the preferred form of construction by which these objects are attained is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a pair of clothes tongs embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

As show in Fig. 1 the tongs comprise two parts 1 and 2 each having an offset portion 3 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 which are connected together by a rivet 4. Each portion 3 is provided with an annular groove 5, the two grooves when assembled as shown in Fig. 3 forming an annular chamber in which a coiled spring 6 is positioned the portions 3 of the members 1 and 2 being each provided with a channel 7 through which the opposite ends .8 and 9 of the coiled spring 6 extends. The ends 8 and 9 of the coiled ring engage the companion inner faces of tie members 1 and 2 and tend to spread the members 1 and 2 to open the tongs. Formed integrally with the portion 3 of the member 1 is a lower jaw 10 provided with a strengthening rib 11, the end 12 of the jaw being practicaly flat and extending in paral lel relationship with the end 13 of the jaw 14 when closed. The end 13 of the jaw 14 marily intended for use with a washing machine having a power driven wringer to lift clothes out of the hot suds and washing water and feed them into a wringer. The usual method of doing this is to utilize a stick for lifting the clothes out of hot water and then feed the clothes into the wringer by hand but if the clothes are very hot it is very diflicult to handle them in this man ner and one of the objections to the modern washing machine is that in feeding the clothes into the wringer in this manner the operators hands are often drawn into the wringer and crushed. \Vhile many safety devices are applied to this type of wringer it is always necessary to operate a lever or perform some act to allow the rollers to spread apart and in most cases the operators hand is crushed before this act can be performed. With this invention however the hands are not even brought into close proximity with the wringer and even if it were possible to feed the tongs into the wringer the operator may let go of the handles 17 and 18 or may operate a safety device provided. on the wringer to release the tongs. However, on account of the portion 15 it is impossible for the tongs to be drawn into the wringer unless turned edgeways. By grasping the handles 17 and 18 the jaws of the device may be inserted over the clothes in the hot water at which time the handles 17 and 18 are moved together to move the aws 12 and 13 together and clamp the clothes therebetween at which time the end 15 of the tongs is positioned adjacent the upper roller of the wringer and the clothes are drawn out of the jaws by the wringer a portion of the cloth being allowed to extend from the jaws so as to easily feed into the rollers of the wringer. As soon as the cloth starts to move into the wringer the handles 17 and 18 are allowed to sepa rate by the springs G to spread the jaws and release the clothes, the jaws being rounded on all sides to allow the clothes to be readily drawn therefrom. The jaw 12 is made fairly thin to allow the device to be used with some types of wringers which are provided with a feed roller in front of the usual lower roller and this jaw may be moved over the feed roller to allow the clothes to be fed into the wringer rollers. The clothes may be also lifted from the hot water with a stick and picked off from the stick with the tongs and fed into the wringer and the de vice may be used also for lifting clothes out of one tub into another to do away with the necessity of putting the hands in the 'atcr. The tongs are made of metal and preferahly of brass, bronze, nickel or aluminum, aluminum being preferably on account of its cheapness non-rusting and no-corrosive properties and on account of its ability to take a high polish.

From the foregoing description it becomes evident that the device is very simple and el'iieient in operation, provides a safe in ans for feeding clothes into a wringer is composed of few parts and is of consequent low manufacturing cost and provides a device which accomplishes the objects described.

Having thus fully described my invention,

its utility and mode of operation. what claim and desire to secure by Letters latent of the United States isl. A. clothes tongs for feeding clothing: into a wringer comprising two levers pi"- oted together intermediate their ends, the levers being formed to provide a pair ot? handles at one end and a pair of clamping! jaws at the other end, the said jaws being arched away from each other adjacent the pivot point and being flattened at the en;- t-reme end to extend in parallel relation when closed, an arcnate extension formed integrally with one of the said jaws for engaging one of the rolls of the wringer. and a web connecting the extension with the said jaw.

2. A clothes tongs tor feeding clothes nto a wringer comprising two levers pivoted togcther intermediate their ends, said levers being formed at one side of the pivot to provide a pair of handles and at the o 'iposite side of the pivot being T shaped in rrr section through the major portion of their length and arched away from each other a ljacent the pivot point, the said T portions having the heads in adjacent relation and having end portions beyond the arch lying in parallel relation when the tongs ar closed, one of the said parts being provided with means at the end to engage a wringer roll to prevent insertion of the said ends be tween the roll.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specilication.

VICTOR- ID. NELSOX. 

